Millet Medley

Millet Medley

For those who are ready for a break from the overload of quinoa or legumes that sometimes is advocated to make sure you get those proteins, millet can be that refreshing retreat for an often overlooked grain. When cooked, it will maintain slightly more texture than quinoa and can add a bit more feel to the dish. It also has a slightly nuttier flavor when cooked than quinoa and it is a bit more dense.

This dish will take slightly more preparation than some of our dishes based around the use of a rice cooker. However, we have provided the options below to make this quickly and spending as little time in the kitchen as possible! To give this dish a fresher taste, we used the pre-assembled veggie packs at Whole Foods. The vegetables were already washed, chopped and ready to go! We used one pack that had zucchini, white mushrooms, and red onion and mixed that with a pack that contained kale, red chard, garlic, and red onion. All that was left to do was basically cook the millet and mix it all together!

We also used some fresh ingredients to flavor the dish. Use what you have on hand. If substituting for dried herbs or spices, then add small amounts at a time and adjust for flavor.

Ingredients

2 cups Millet (dry, uncooked)

1 Package of freshly prepared mixed vegetables

1 Package of freshly prepared mixed greens

1 finger of Ginger

4 cloves of Garlic

1 Habanero (or choice of pepper)

1 finger of Turmeric (optional)

Juice of one squeezed lemon

1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast

4 cups water

Directions

In a large skillet, combine 4 cups of water and 2 cups of millet and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. While that is getting started, peel the ginger, garlic, and turmeric (optional). Mince the ginger and turmeric using a grater and mince the garlic using a garlic press. Mince the habanero (or choice of pepper). Combine the spices into the millet while it simmers to incorporate the flavors. Stir as necessary while the millet cooks until it is tender and most of the water has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove cooked millet and place separately on a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet you were just using, add the package of mixed vegetables with a few tablespoons of water and cook on medium high heat. After 5 minutes, add the package of mixed greens and continue to cook an additional 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the millet back into the skillet and squeeze the lemon juice on top. Add the nutritional yeast and mix until well incorporated

The total time to prepare this should be about 30 minutes. Pour the mixture into your choice of storage containers and refrigerate. I like to bring tortillas with me and create wraps out of the mixtures. I use the sprouted grain wraps and it adds a great nutritional balance to the meal and helps to stretch the millet mix to last the length of a four day trip.

One last variation that I incorporate for all of my main courses that I bring with me on trips. I rotate through varieties of Artisan Grain Meat Field Roasts,Tempeh, or Seitan. Now, I generally save these for my trips and try to take a break from them at home. The bonus for taking them on the trips is that they do help to add in some calories and plant based nutrition in a small package, taking up as little space as possible. They are not quite a processed food, but definitely a concentrated source of plant based protein in excess of what is required, while having higher levels of sodium. But they are still leaps and bounds better for your body than any animal based product. The artisan grain meat field roasts are extremely addicting! You have been warned! (hahaha!) So feel free to experiment with what your favorite is.

These options are great, especially if you are just starting a transition to a whole foods, plant based lifestyle.